As We Turn Our Tassels
by SoraGirl
Summary: It's high school graduation and Cindy and Jimmy decide to make amends. JC with a little SL thrown in on the side Please R&R! :D
1. Part I: Last Laughs

Disclaimer: I don't own Jimmy Neutron! :O You are shocked, yes?

Author's Notes: Just to warn you before hand, I was far too lazy to write real speeches so you just get the ends to both, DEAL WITH IT! ;) Also, the entire fic has been completed and I've just separated it into three parts of equal lengths for easier reading so the rest should be up either today or tomorrow. I hope you enjoy! :D

Part I

"And so, in closing, when in doubt, always square the quantitative root."

Jimmy Neutron, resident boy genius of Retroville, USA and Limburg High School valedictorian bowed smugly before turning back towards his seat. Light applause from those still conscious awoke a sleeping Sheen.

"HUH!?! WHAT HAPPENED!?! WADDA I MISS!?" Sheen squealed, sitting up so suddenly his blue graduation cap flew off into the row behind him. Before the tall black girl sitting beside him could get out so much as an irritated "_Sheen!_", a cool voice answered his question.

"Just another trademark Neutron snore fest," a lanky blonde breathed from behind as the applause began to die off. "Nothing of any importance."

Carl Wheezer jumped in surprise, turning around to face the speaker. "Cindy!" he gasped, ruffling frantically through his robes to locate his inhaler, "Where'd you come from!?"

Cindy Vortex rolled her eyes. "I've been sitting here the entire time, Wheezer," she sighed. She ignored him and watched with slight amusement, Libby, who was smiling sweetly to the two seniors behind her before picking up her boyfriend's hat and slamming it back down on his pointy head. Now that Sheen's hat was now safely resting on his noggin, Libby turned her attention to her best friend.

"Shouldn't you be up there?" she asked uninterestedly, straightening her graduation cap over her dozens of tiny braids for the thousandth time that day.

Cindy nodded, too anxious watching their principle for her cue to notice the apathy in her friend's voice. "Any second now."

"…SGA president and salutatorian, Cindy Vortex!"

The lanky blonde smirked deviously before standing. Slowly, she uncrossed her legs, allowing her tiny white heels to hit the floor. With two hands, she straightened out her robe before walking confidently to the podium. With every poised step her heels clicked on the concrete stage and her robe open partially to reveal long legs and a knee-length white skirt.

"Beat that, Vortex," Jimmy whispered as she passed. Without stopping or looking back, she gave a challenging smile.

"I intend to."

But she didn't just intend to, she knew for a fact that James Isaac Neutron was going down. There were few things in life that she could honestly, fairly, and fully beat Jimmy Neutron at and writing speeches, was one of them. She had not only spent weeks preparing the speech but spent _months_ convincing Principle Lombardy that as Student Government president and salutatorian, she was entitled to give a speech as well. After all, this would be her final chance to show up her arch rival, and she had always planned to have the last laugh.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a handful of perfectly stacked pink notecards. She took a deep breath and gazed into the crowd. There, in the front row, where her parents should have been, were two empty seats. But as usual, she distracted herself with a raging need for competition. She smiled, cleared her throat, and gave a deep breath. She looked once at Jimmy. _Get ready to be knocked off your feet, Neutron._

…

"To conclude, remember that Ghandi once said, 'You must be the change you wish to see in the world' and he was right. In front of us are the politicians, the scientists, the teachers, the revolutionists of tomorrow. We are the future. _We_ **_can_**change the world and because we can, we _must._ It is our job, our responsibility, our burden, all of us. We must work together, fight together, suffer together, if only die together, but to die together in a _stronger_, loving world." she finished at last.

She lifted her eyes from her notecards and onto the silent crow. For the first time since she had begun her speech, Cindy was suddenly afraid that Jimmy might have beaten her. Her fear didn't last long though, as the crowd began applauding widely, giving her speech a standing ovation.

She walked contently back to her seat.

"Well, thank you Ms.Vortex," Principle Lombardy fumbled, surprised by Cindy's audacity. "I guess that concludes our ceremony. Congratulations graduates, you have just completed high school!"

The graduates erupted in happiness. A hundred hats flew spontaneously into the air. There were screams, cat calls, and tears. Bruce, ecstatic to have finally made it through high school, ripped off his robe and straight through his shirt, let out a giant roar, and submerged Principle Lombardy in a mammoth hug. Sheen grinned widely and surprised Libby with an enthusiastic kiss.

Cindy, hoping to give Libby a hug of congratulations, could only watch the couple enviously, having not even her parents there to greet her. With a bitter smile, she threw her hat lightly into the air. She didn't stay solemn for too long, as Bruce, insane with joy, came charging up to her, yelled a loud "WOOOOHOOOOO!!!" and gave her large embrace. Coughing on his heavy cologne and struggling to get free, Cindy couldn't help but break into laughter.

As the parents began to filter on the stage, Jimmy was surrounded.

"Jimbo, my good man!" his father called out, patting him hard on the back, "Great speech, my boy, great speech. Really, riveting…especially that part…about that thing…yes...that part was…did I mention it was riveting? But that Vortex girl! Wooowee! She showed you up _big_ time!"

"Hugh!" Judy interrupted with narrowed eyes. She looked sweetly at her son, now almost as tall as she. "What your father _means_ to say is that you both did _very_ well. We're so proud of you Jimmy." She hugged Jimmy softly as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Uh, thanks Mom," Jimmy blushed, quickly looking around to make sure no one was watching this embarrassing moment.

"My…baby…boy...is…all…grown…up!!!" Ms. Neutron began bawling, squeezing Jimmy tighter and tighter.

"MOM!" Jimmy yelled desperately. "Mom! I can't breath! LET GO!"

"Oh," Judy said thoughtfully as she regained composure, letting Jimmy go, and wiping some tears from her eyes. "It's just well, you know…" she sniffled, giving Jimmy one last hug.

Jimmy smiled understandingly. "Yeah, I know. I love you guys too." Awkwardly, he wrapped his arms around both his parents and gave a tight squeeze.

As Mr. and Mrs. Neutron became distracted by the loud arrival of the Wheezers, Jimmy allowed his gaze to fall upon Cindy. While the other graduates greeted excited friends and family, she stood alone, fiddling around with her program in an awkward attempt to make herself look busy.

"Oh yes, we're very excited too.." Ms. Neutron said, her eyes drifting over to her sons. "If you'll excuse us for just a minute?"

Before the Wheezers could respond, Judy had grabbed the arms of both her boys and dragged them to their next destination. "Cindy, dear," Ms. Neutron started. Cindy perked up suddenly and turned to find not her mother, but Judy Neutron, standing before her. She slumped down a little, giving a weak smile.

"Your speech was just lovely," Judy continued sweetly. "Really beautiful. You did an excellent job."

"Boy howdy it was!" Mr. Neutron added excitedly. "Mr. Quacker's sure thought so too! Didn't ya Mr.Quackers!" Pulling a small plush duck from his pocket, Hugh nodded it up and down and added an enthusiastic "QUACK! QUACK!" Jimmy remained silent, covering his face with his hands.

"Uh, thanks Ms. and Mr. Neutron," Cindy said, giving Mr. Neutron a perplexed look, and in an unprecedented act of kindness, added, "Jimmy's was really good too."

Instantly, Jimmy's jaw dropped open. "Cindy," he gasped accusingly, his blue eyes wide, "Did you just give me a compliment?"

Cindy's face flashed red. "Yeah…yeah! So what if I did!?" she said defensively. Had she really? She hadn't meant to. It had just felt like the right thing to say.

"I think it was very sweet of her," Ms. Neutron reprimanded. She threw a disciplinary glare at her son. She turned to Cindy, her voice soft. "It's a shame your parents missed your speech Cindy, I'm sure they would have been very proud."

Cindy gave a forced smile. _No_, she thought bitterly, _they wouldn't have cared_. "Thanks Ms. Neutron." An awkward silence followed with Ms. Neutron smiling at her a little _too_ sympathetically. "Uh…I guess I should better get going. I'm sure you all have a lot of people to talk to…so, thanks again…Bye."

As the teenage girl turned to leave, Jimmy opened his mouth to stop her. "Cindy," Ms. Neutron called. As she turned back, Jimmy closed his mouth, looking away. Why had he been trying to stop her? What had he intended to say? He was suddenly glad his mother had spoken before him.

"We were planning to stop by the Taco Shanty on our way home to celebrate. We'd love it if you could join us," Ms. Neutron offered, still smiling.

"I, uh…" Cindy stumbled. Surprised by the offer, she looked automatically at Jimmy, who was giving a look of distress to his mother.

"No," she decided coldly, glaring threateningly at Jimmy. "No. I think I'll pass. Thanks Ms. Neutron." She pushed violently by the boy genius. "Later, _Nerdton_," she hissed.

Jimmy looked up at his mom, confused about Cindy's reaction. "It's just…I thought we were going to the Candy Bar?"

----

"So, still planning on gracing us with your presence at the party?" Libby asked from the opposite side of the telephone. She giggled slightly as Sheen amused himself by seeing how long he could hold his headstand. "Cut it out Sheen," she laughed playfully.

Cindy rolled her eyes from the other side of the phone line. "I'm not sure Libs…" she admitted, moving over to her bed and straightening out the green dress she had laying across it. She paused. "Is Neutron going to be there?"

Libby sighed, turning over to face the ceiling. "You know Cindy, you need to get over this whole, 'hating Jimmy' thing. It's time for both of you to grow up. As much as you hate to admit it, you're close enough friends that you really _are_ going to miss each other. Once we all head off to college and go our separate ways, you might never see each other again. You might as well make amends now, so you don't have to regret it later."

Cindy looked stunned. She hadn't really thought about it like that. Blushing, she sat down on her bed. "…Yeah, I guess you might be right."

"No, not 'might be right' I _am_ right," Libby grinned, glad to see that her friend was actually considering giving up her eternal feud with Jimmy Neutron. Cindy heard a loud crash in the background.

"SHEEN!" Libby squealed. "Look Cindy, I've got to go, but I better see you at the party, alright?"

"Alright…" Cindy conceded to the receiver, but Libby had already hung up the phone. Cindy smiled wirily, imagining the kind of stupid thing Sheen must have done to cause a sound like that. She sighed. She honestly didn't understand how Libby could stand that boy. Sure, he had his cute moments, but they were far outnumbered by his stupid, moronic, immature, and completely brain dead moments.

Growing up, Libby and Cindy never settled for anything less than the best. Now, as legal adults, Cindy assumed that they would settle for nothing less than the perfect boyfriend, and Sheen Estevez was _far_ from perfect. Still, through plenty of past experience, Cindy knew that finding the perfect guy was a nearly impossible task. Maybe Libby was right to put up with Sheen's more annoying characteristics if it meant allowing herself to be with someone she truly cared about.

Cindy looked at her dark green dress once more. She smiled slightly. There was no use in letting it go to waste. She slipped out of her graduation gown and the skirt and shirt underneath, and pulled on her new dress. The smooth, rippling fabric fell gently over her skin and clung to all the right places. She reached behind her neck and tied the two thin strings around her neck before turning around to view herself in the mirror. A mischievous grin spread across her face. Maybe she _would_ go to the party after all.


	2. Part II: Wild Things

Disclaimer: I don't own JN anymore then I owned it five minutes ago ;D

Part II

"Hey girl!" Libby exclaimed from the front door, looking up and down her friend with nod of approval. "You look great! Those shoes!"

Cindy smiled. Her high, stringy black stilettos were "the thing" but were also, very hard to walk in. "You too, Libby," Cindy admitted. Her black friend wore a tiny purple dress with silver trim, complete with the most up and coming, shoes, purse, and jewelry. Her hair was a delicate array of braids, a large section swirled and pinned up with a sparkling purple barrette and the rest falling down to frame her face. The tour de force, however, was her intricate, shimmering makeup, that imitated the style of late Egyptian queens. They gave each other a small smile, both perhaps a tad over dressed for the occasion, but assured that their last impression on their classmates would be a good one.

"Well, come on in!" Libby laughed. "The party's already started!" Cindy followed her awkwardly inside, trying to retain balance on her small, unsteady heels. The music of the band blared loudly and those attempting conversation had to scream to be heard. Sheen stood on a table, playing the air guitar and bopping his head wildly.

"SHEEN! OFF THE TABLE!" Libby yelled. Automatically, the "hard rocker" froze and rubbing his head slightly, jumped down from the table. "Well, make yourself at home," Libby yelled over the music. "Everyone else has!" Cindy nodded and watched Libby run to beat off a classmate that had decided to relieve himself on one of the potted plants.

"Yo, Cind," Nick Dean said, somehow keeping his cool, laid-back voice heard even over the roaring tempo. "Liked your speech."

"Uh, thanks Nick," Cindy blushed. Nick was older now, but as handsome as ever. He ran a hand through his well-groomed black hair and shrugged on his matching leather jacket.

"Yeah, so you're probably headed to college at one of those- smart schools, right?" he asked, leaning casually on the door frame, as to loom "seductively" over Cindy.

"Uh, yeah," she laughed. "Princeton, actually…How about you?"

"Oh, well, I'm not really going to college," he admitted. "…you know, I figure I'll go to one of those…whatever you call it…you know…the ones were you…do stuff?"

"…A vocational school?" Cindy suggested weakly.

"Yeah! That's it! A vocational school. I wanna be a plumber," Nick said proudly, running his hand threw his hair once again.

"Oh," Cindy said, frowning slightly. "Well, that's good Nick. You know, following your dream. I hope that works well for you."

He nodded and Cindy noticed uncomfortably that he was gazing a little _too_ intently at her chest. She shifted in order to obstruct his view. "So, like…Princeton?" he said. "Where is that anyway? Is it around here…cause maybe we could, you know, hang out."

"Well, it's in New Jersey so-" she started, but was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Vortex," Jimmy started, before noticing Nick hovering above. "Oh, sorry, didn't know I was interrupting anything….I'll just-"

"NO!" Cindy exclaimed, grabbing Jimmy by the wrist. "I mean, ha, uh, no, you weren't interrupting anything. I'll see you later Nick, good luck with vocational school!"

Before Nick could respond, Cindy had dragged Jimmy away. "What was that for?" Jimmy asked grumpily, rubbing his wrist.

"Sorry," Cindy said insincerely, looking around the corner to make sure that Nick hadn't followed them. "Just wanted to get away from Nick."

Jimmy raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Oh really? I thought you liked him."

"Yeah, well, emotions can change- can't they Neutron?" She bit back. As soon as the comment was out, she regretted it. She had come to the party last night with the intention of treating Jimmy like a decent human being.

"Look, I just wanted to know if you'd seen Libby, I figure if I can find her, I can find Sheen," Jimmy said. He too, didn't feel like fighting anymore.

"Last I saw of them, Libby was trying to pull Tommy off the fireplace mantel…but I can help you look, I need to talk to Libby anyway," Cindy offered.

"Yeah," Jimmy said, slightly surprised by the kind suggestion. "Yeah, alright."

So the two began scouring the house, where no signs of Libby _or_ Sheen could be found. Of course, wandering around in circles while blasting music played didn't make the most _accommodating_ search conditions. "MAYBE WE SHOULD CHECK OUTSIDE?" Cindy suggested lamely.

Jimmy nodded enthusiastically, fingers plugging his ears. "YEAH! LET'S GO!" he yelled, and the two quickly rushed out of the house.

"Phew," Cindy breathed in relief, once they were far enough that they could finally hear again. "I don't think the halls of hell are quiet as loud."

"No," Jimmy agreed. "I can't believe the neighbors haven't called the police yet."

"Me either…we really should find Libby and Sheen, maybe they've been locked up somewhere and forgotten about…" Cindy suggested nervously.

"Even if they are, I doubt they'd mind much," Jimmy smirked.

Cindy grimaced, putting her hands over her eyes. "Ugh, why'd you have to say that? _Horrible_ mental image."

Jimmy smiled, silent for a second. He hardly realized how far they had walked threw Libby's grassy yard. "It is strange, isn't? Libby and Sheen a couple...Who would have thought?"

Cindy shrugged, moving along a rock on the ground as they walked. Her feet were bare. She had been forced to take her shoes off as walking outside with those heels was lost cause. "I guess love works in unexpected ways…Besides, it's not so strange…not anymore at least. They really do care about each other."

"Yeah…Sheen'll really be upset when Libby gets arrested for disturbance of the peace," Jimmy joked. Cindy smiled.

The two were silent again as they continued walking to the back of the house "looking for Libby and Sheen." Jimmy glanced over at Cindy, stiletto heels in hand, peaces of unruly hair falling from her bun, green dress still shimmering.

Jimmy gathered up his courage and said something he hadn't intended to say. "You look really nice tonight, Cindy."

Cindy was equally surprised by this comment, and glad that it was dark enough out to hide her blush. "Thanks."

Continuing silently on their pursuit of Sheen and Libby, they heard noises coming from the shed.

"That _better_ not be them," Cindy groaned.

Jimmy moved sideways, wincing, towards the shed. "Sheen? Libby? Are you in there?"

No response. "Libby Folfax, if that's you, get out here right now!" Cindy cried out desperately. Still no response.

"I'm entering the shed!" Jimmy announced, shielding his eyes as he opened the door. "Sheen?" he asked weakly. When no one answered, he opened his eyes. "I think its all clear."

Cindy stepped lightly into the shed, just to make sure. "I wonder what was making that noise?" She said, looking around the room. She closed the door, to see if a small woodland creature might be hiding behind it.

"Ugh!" Cindy yelled, as a giant mutant-looking rat AN: Not the cuddly kind of rats you find in TODAY'S sewers!! ;) scampered across her shoeless foot. She moved quickly and fell forward, bringing Jimmy down with her and hitting the ground with a loud "thump!"

"Hey! Who's in there?! If you think you can just come to my house and-" Libby started furiously, shoving open the door.

"CINDY?!? JIMMY!??!" Libby screeched, staring, jaw-dropped at her best friend, lying on the floor of her shed, on top of Jimmy Neutron.

"It's not what it looks like!" Cindy exclaimed, blushing wildly as she struggled to get up.

"We were just-" Jimmy started desperately but it was no use.

"SHEEN!" Libby squealed. "SHEEN! GET IN HERE!! Jimmy and Cindy they were-"

"Wo!" Sheen said, surveying the scene in front of him. "It's just like you said all along Libby! They really _did_ secretly love each other!" He shook his head sadly, "Man, now I owe Carl 20 bucks."

"Secretly WHAT?" Cindy asked, appalled that anyone, even someone as slow as Sheen, would think such a thing. "Look, we just came into see what was making noise, I just fell."

"Sure you did," Sheen said, offering a large, smiling wink.

Cindy rolled her eyes and admitted a low growl. "Come on! You've got to be kidding me! Me and Neutron?! I wouldn't go out with him if he was the _last_ man on _earth_!"

"The feelings mutual Vortex," Jimmy added. He rubbed his back. "I think your weight crushed my vertebrae."

"Yeah, well, it's not like falling on you was a pleasure either! I was nearly impaled by your stupid pointy head!"

"At least I own a pair of pants that actually fit!"

"At least I never put a chip in my pants that caused them to try and take over the whole town!"

"Only because you weren't smart enough!"

"Like you are! Look how well all your inventions turn out!"

"Bimbo!"

"NERD!"

"COTTON-CANDY HEAD!"

"DIPPY CONE HEAD!"

"YOU BIG-"

"ENOUGH!" Libby screamed. She let out a frustrated sigh as her two bickering friends went silent. "Look at yourselves. You're acting no better than a bunch of two year olds."

She paused for a second to allow them to fully grasp how childish they were being.

"I don't know who you two think you're fooling, but it's not me. You can pretend you hate each other all you want, but I'm not going to buy it for a second. So why don't you both just chill out, give it a break, and be decent to each other at least till the night's over. Okay?"

Like two sullen siblings being disciplined by their mother, they waited for each others reaction.

"Okay," they finally agreed.

"Good," Libby smiled. "I didn't want to have to slap you. Now let's all head back to the party before some one burns the house down."


	3. Part III: A Stronger Loving World

Disclaimer: I still don't own JN! :( Stop taunting me! :C

Part III

The house did somehow manage to stay (at least partially) intact. As the party died down, most of the big trouble makers had passed out, and the band, feeling weary themselves, had begun to play softer and slower.

Cindy let at a large yawn from the couch where she, Jimmy, Libby, and Sheen sat. "Want to start cleaning up, Libs?"

"Nah, too tired. I think I'm just gonna kick the rest of these bums out and call it a night. It's getting pretty late," she said, snuggling up a little closer to the sleeping Sheen. "You should probably head home."

"Alright, call me tomorrow if you need some help," Cindy offered, getting up and stretching out her arms.

"I guess I should be going too," Jimmy agreed. He paused awkwardly for a moment. "Thanks Libby. And you know, good luck, with everything." Approaching her nervously, he "hugged" her, placing one arm around her shoulder and patting her back. "Yeah, so, good luck."

Cindy eyeballed him strangely. What had that been about? Surely Jimmy didn't have a thing for his best friend's girlfriend? _He better not_, Cindy thought violently but then reprimanded herself. After all, why should she care? She sighed, picking up her purse, she headed to the door.

"Cindy!" Jimmy called out, grabbing his jacket as he rushed to follow her. She paused, raised eyebrow. Jimmy blushed, "I just figured…we might as well walk home together…you know, since we're both heading the same direction."

"Yeah," Cindy nodded. "Might as well."

Libby's house was only a block or two away from their houses, so the walk was relatively short. The two walked in silence for most of the way, neither wanting to start up another fight. Finally, Jimmy couldn't stand the silence.

"So…Princeton? That's a great school. John Nash went there you know. Einstein spent many of his later years teaching there."

Cindy smiled; you could always count on Jimmy Neutron for useless facts. "Uh…yeah…but you know, Harvard's great too, especially when you're going there to teach."

Jimmy shrugged in attempt to be humble. "Well, you know, Relative Psychophysiology is really easy once you get a hang of it."

"Oh yeah," Cindy said sarcastically. "Certainly sounds simple."

Jimmy laughed a little. "Well, where's the challenge if I'm not competing against you?"

"Jimmy," she sighed, "I think it's pretty safe to say you've already beaten me. Nobel Prize at age 16? Kind of surpasses my winning the state science fair."

"I guess we both have our strengths. You've always been far superior to me in language arts…and martial arts," he winced, rubbing a large bruise on his leg from the last time Cindy and he had gotten into a physically fight.

She grinned widely, fondly remembering her last victory. "Sorry about that. Libby's right, we really are getting too old for all of this."

"Well, at least we've gotten a little bit better," Jimmy said optimistically, "I mean, we're having a civilized conversation, right? How many times could we say that when we were younger?"

"True," Cindy noted. She looked at Jimmy, who still had a small smile spread across his face. She bit her lip. "Look Jimmy, I'm really sorry for everything I've said and done over the past few years. As much as I say it…the truth is…I don't really hate you. I just…I just…" she breathed out. "I don't know. You know how I get."

He grinned. Yes, he _did_ know how she gets. "Yes, well, likewise…You know, sometimes I think…if we weren't so busy trying to hate each other…we could be really good friends…"

Cindy considered this for a second. "Maybe we _are_ good friends… After all, all friends have fights, right?"

"Well, not usually every time they see each other…but I guess we can over look that fact," he joked.

"Yeah." she said. "Friends, then?"

"Friends," he agreed.

She looked up at one of the orange street lights, rubbing her goose bumped shoulders. "We sure have great timing, don't we?"

Jimmy looked at her strangely and then feeling very daring, took off his jacket and wrapped it tightly over her shoulders, giving an extra squeeze. When she looked up in surprise, he smiled and then blushed. "Friends, right?"

"Right," she smiled as well.

"Well, I guess this is it," Cindy announced a short time later as the two approached their neighboring houses.

"Yeah," Jimmy looked sadly at the houses. "It's sure going to be strange not living right across the street."

Cindy nodded in agreement. "Not even in the same state…things are changing so much, so quickly," she whispered sadly. Soon they'd all be in different states, different colleges…different lives. They were facts she didn't want to think about. "But hey, there's still the rest of the summer for all of us to remain in normality," she added optimistically.

Jimmy let out an awkward laugh, itching the back of his neck nervously. "Uh…oh yeah, about that…"

Cindy's gaze hit sharply upon him. "About what?" she asked threateningly.

Jimmy silently wished he had brought Goddard along for the party, less he behold the wrath of the Vortex.

"I…uh…well…the other professor at Harvard are having a summer seminar and well…since I've never taught before…I, uh, I agreed to go…and I'm….well, I'm scheduled to leave tomorrow." Jimmy finished quickly and threw his hands over his face to protect himself.

"WHAT?" Cindy screeched. "YOU'RE LEAVING TOMORROW?! YOU'RE LEAVING TOMORROW AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THE COMMON COURTESY TO TELL ME!? _WHAT_!? DID YOU THINK I WOULD JUST-"

"I thought you just wouldn't care…" Jimmy filled in sadly.

"Yeah, well, I DON'T!" Cindy rebutted angrily. "I could care less _when_ you left!"

"Yeah….I know…" Jimmy admitted, "That's precisely what I was afraid of…"

"What do you mean?" Cindy snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I mean…" Jimmy started. How should he put this? How could he phrase this? Darn his inferior speaking ability! "I mean…I didn't want the last thing you said to me to be that you were glad I was finally leaving…or something along those lines. I wanted to end on a positive note, even if that meant not telling you that I was going. After all, a negative integer plus a negative integer only equals a larger negative."

As usual, Cindy could do little to argue with his logic. "Yeah…well…you should have told me…" she growled, trying to off play the tears running down her cheeks. She sat down on the sidewalk, feeling defeated.

"I did," Jimmy said, sitting down next to her. He idly wondered if he should try placing his arm around her to comfort her.

"You should have told me sooner," she bit back.

"Cindy, I told you. I-"

"You know Neutron, for a genius, you really are a moron!" She yelled. There was a tiny, bitter laugh mixed into her angry voice.

"Hey! I-" Jimmy started in self defensive, but once again, was cut off.

"I mean, look, we've known each other for how long now? And you _really_ still believe I fight with you because I _hate_ you? Come on Neutron, put two and two together!"

She watched as the gears in Jimmy's mind began to turn. "Cindy…I don't…what do you…?"

He looked confused, distraught. She was obviously not getting through to him. "UGH!" she yelled, frustrated that he was still so oblivious. "THIS is what I mean!"

Then, without any further hesitation, she grabbed James Isaac Neutron roughly on both sides of the face, and kissed him.

"Uh…" he said, dazed and blushing. "Good thing Carl's not here…he'd get some sort of…reality complex..."

Cindy might have found the joke funny in normal situations, but she wasn't much in the mood for laughing now. She had just confessed the secret she had been desperately trying to hide for more then half her life and the boy she had told it to, was leaving tomorrow.

"So…you don't hate me?" Jimmy asked.

"Now _there's_ a brilliant observation," she scowled.

"You should have said something," he said quietly, shaking his head as he gazed down at the ground.

"Yeah! Well, it wouldn't have mattered, would it?!" Cindy yelled. "I mean, what difference does it make? You're leaving tomorrow for Boston!"

Jimmy looked up in surprise. "_I_ think it matters. I mean, sure, we're both leaving for different states…but hey, I'm a genius right? We could find a way…we could make it work…"

"Make it work?" Cindy echoed. "You mean…you want to give it a try?"

"Well, yeah, Cindy…I don't hate you either…In fact, I've always felt almost the exact opposite of the way I acted towards you…" he laughed a little. "Sorry about that."

"No problem," she smiled. "So, what do we do now?"

"Well," Jimmy thought. "You know, in scientific experiments, its standard to repeat processes multiple times in order to validate the data."

Cindy eyed him curiously. "And…?"

"Uh," Jimmy blushed. "Well…" He leaned forward nervously and kissed her gently on the lips.

"HEY JIMBO!!" The oblivious Hugh interrupted from across the street. "THE DISCOVERY CHANNELS HAD A DUCK MARATHON ON ALL NIGHT! COME ON IN! IT'S QUACK-TASTIC!"

Jimmy, now blushing harder, shook his head at his somewhat deranged father. "ALRIGHT DAD! I'LL BE IN IN A MINUTE!" He sighed slightly, opening his mouth to apologize to Cindy, when he was interrupted again.

"OKAY BUT YOU BETTER HURRY! THE GREEN HEADED DUCKBILL FEEDING HABITS ARE COMING UP RIGHT AFTER THESE MESSAGES!!"

"_ALRIGHT_ DAD! QUIET DOWN! YOU'LL WAKE UP THE NEIGHBORS!" Jimmy hissed, attempting to yell 'quietly' across the street. Jimmy knew they were safe when Hugh gave a big thumbs up and then went back inside.

"I guess I should get going…don't want the neighbors to coming out to beat us with sticks," Jimmy said, dusting off and getting up from the ground.

Cindy graciously took the hand offered to her and pulled herself up. "Well, call before you leave tomorrow, alright?"

"Sure thing," he smiled.

She fidgeted awkwardly before stepping forward and kissing him on the cheek. Blushing, she huffed a "Goodbye" and then turned to leave.

"Uh, Cindy?" Jimmy said, causing the girl to stop in her tracks. "You wouldn't want to come in would you? After all, 'the green headed duckbill feeding habits' sound…really exciting…"

She looked surprised, but then gave a light smile. "Sure, I'd love to," she said and ignoring the possible consequences (she could almost _hear_ her mother 'YOU WERE TOLD TO BE HOME AT 12, YOUNG LADY!'), she took his hand in her own, and walked blissfully towards the house. It was another fast paced change, another path taking her away from what she knew, but with her lips still tingling from their kiss, she was beginning to think change wasn't so bad after all.

_Fin_.

That's it everyone! :D Hope you liked it! Reviews and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated but flames are just nice, so please none of those :) Happy summer all!

"Have you hugged an author today? Write a review and make one's day!" :D

Best wishes and warmest regards,

Soragirl


End file.
